Tuesday, September 30 2014; Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 456

Reading 1
jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
Job spoke out and said:

Perish the day on which I was born,
the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”

Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?

For then I should have lain down and been tranquil;
had I slept, I should then have been at rest
With kings and counselors of the earth
who built where now there are ruins
Or with princes who had gold
and filled their houses with silver.

There the wicked cease from troubling,
there the weary are at rest.

Why is light given to the toilers,
and life to the bitter in spirit?
They wait for death and it comes not;
they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,
Rejoice in it exultingly,
and are glad when they reach the grave:
Those whose path is hidden from them,
and whom God has hemmed in!

Responsorial Psalm
ps 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8

R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
O LORD, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a man without strength.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss.
Upon me your wrath lies heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Gospel
lk 9:51-56

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE "SLEEP BOOK"

"For then I should have lain down and been tranquil; had I slept, I should then have been at rest." –Job 3:13

Jesus wants to be Lord of our sleep. He plans to use our sleep both to advance His kingdom and to bless us with sufficient rest. Satan also has plans for our sleep, since it occupies nearly one-third of our lives. In addition to the sleep we lose through the activity of children or neighbors, Satan attempts to rob us of more sleep by tempting us to worry (see Eccl 5:11), fear (Sir 40:5-7), or anger (Eph 4:26ff). When we need to fall asleep, we instead lay awake and fret. This gives the devil a chance to operate on us (see Eph 4:26-27) and further his sabotage of God's kingdom.

We really need discernment in the area of sleep. At times we are called to do without some sleep. The writer of 2 Maccabees spent many "sleepless nights" writing the Word of God (2 Mc 2:26). Like Jesus, we can be called to intercede and pray long into the night (Mt 14:23, 25). At other times, we sleep when we should be attentive to the Lord (see Mt 26:40ff; Prv 6:9ff; 1 Sm 3:1ff). Conversely, we often are called to sleep, but we won't. We stay up late entertaining ourselves or working for perishable food (Jn 6:27) when God our Father wants to provide it for us. "It is vain for you to rise early, or put off your rest, you that eat hard-earned bread, for He gives to His beloved in sleep" (Ps 127:2).

If we give our lives to the Lord and live by His teaching, He will tell us: "When you lie down, you need not be afraid, when you rest, your sleep will be sweet" (Prv 3:24; see also Prv 19:23; 1 Sm 2:8). In His peace, we gratefully respond: "As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep, for You alone, O Lord, bring security to my dwelling" (Ps 4:9). "Sleep in heavenly peace."

PRAYER: Jesus, may I sleep soundly in life's storms (Mt 8:24-25).

PROMISE: Jesus "firmly resolved to proceed toward Jerusalem." –Lk 9:51

PRAISE: St. Jerome spent four years in the desert, learning God's Word in solitude and prayer.

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